Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Test To Impress

There’s heaps of advice floating around, especially in the commercial space, for how to improve response to email marketing messages. But it always comes back to … you’ve got to test for your own organization and circumstances. With so much in email marketing that could be tested, where do you begin? Here’s a useful approach […]

Learn More May 14, 2012

The Value of Non-Responders

There is a great write up in Harvard Business Review about an experiment to evaluate the sales lift from coupons – not just among the redeemers (the obvious part) but also, the non-redeemers. How do coupons deliver sales lift among non-redeemers? Most probably know or can guess the answer and it is the exact same […]

Learn More May 11, 2012

America’s New Mobile Majority

Thanks to the Agitator readers who got back to us regarding their mobile reading of our blog. Sounds like plenty of subscribers read via mobile, mostly on their way to work. On all makes of smartphones … with no hassles. Whew! We’ll close out the week with two final bits of mobile news. Nielsen refers […]

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How Are Your Email Appeals Accessed?

Sorry, no advice today! A question instead. I’ve just been reading a variety of articles (examples here and here) about improving email performance in the commercial space. Apart from the usual advice about subject lines, timing, length, testing etc, the real rising issue involves the steadily increasing likelihood that your email message is being read […]

Learn More May 10, 2012

At Last! Fundraising Without Fundraisers

When I switched from major gift fundraising to direct response, I explained to my friends that, at last, I could deal with humanity without having to deal with people. Actually, I really, truly, like people. But, at the same time I must admit that dealing with them at 30,000 feet is better than one-on-one at […]

Learn More May 9, 2012

Premiums Make Me Cringe

Probably no direct mail fundraising practice makes me cringe more than the use of premiums in prospecting. My instinctive reaction is to regard them as pure hucksterism — evidence that the sending organization regards its prospects as mindless. More interested in the stamps or coffee mug or plush toy than the real issue or cause. […]

Learn More May 8, 2012